The 2015 CP Holiday Train has announced that it will be in Ashcroft on Dec. 17.
The Holiday Train, besides bringing music and lights to entertain the public, also provides awareness for local food banks, and the food bank situated in Ashcroft is no exception.
Elizabeth Fry manager Yoriko Susanj says the food bank serves 55-65 clients twice a month on days when it is open - the first and third Wednesdays of the month.
“The Holiday Train helps immensely,” she says. “The donations help up inso May so we don’t have to tap into funds reserved for the rest of the year.”
The event not only encourages people to bring donations of food and cash, but CP employees also donate money to food banks wherever they stop.
“That is a big chunk of our budget,” she says.
Donations are taken at any time of the year - unexpired food or cash. She says they can use the cash to get good deals on food at Safety Mart and they can buy what the clients need.
The Central Cafe will also be hosting a Toys for Joys pancake Breakfast on Nov. 29 to collect toys.
Donations to the food bank tend to drop off after Christmas, she says, yet the need picks up as the weather gets colder.
Jim Cuddy is performing again on the train. Jim Cuddy is a member of Canadian country rock band, Blue Rodeo. In 1998, Jim released All in Time which went on to sell Gold in his native Canada. His next album, 2006’s The Light That Guides You Home, was released to critical acclaim and won the Juno for Adult Alternative Album of the Year.
The local schedule for the Train:
Thurs., Dec. 17 arriving in Kamloops at 5:05 pm; arriving in Savona 7:15 pm; and arriving in Ashcroft 8:50 pm (show 9-9:30pm).
Fri., Dec. 18 arriving in Lytton 12:45 pm (show 1-1:25pm).